I didn't use hiking sticks for years. After my first down/up of the Grand Canyon I started using them. I like the novelty of a wood staff, (something about the my imagination of being a 12th Level character in a Sword & Magic movie)but I find wood staffs are not my style. I didn't like how I could collapse a pole with just downward pressure until I found Black Diamond poles with their FlickLock mechanism. Love em. I'm also a trail runner too, so being able to collapse and strap to or shove in a pack for a small, light footprint means something to me.